Nothing in the DC universe has prospered quite like the Shazam! family, with the ragtag adopted family charming fans for generations. Even then, the track record of Shazam! comics has been a peculiar one, with even the best-constructed stories causing a lot of genuinely good potential to fall through the cracks. This has especially been the case for Mary Marvel, whose role as the headstrong older sister of the family has been toyed with and sometimes exploited to fit a larger (and usually male-dominated) story. When you take all of that into account—and honestly, even when you don’t—the beginning of Mary’s new solo adventure in this week’s The New Champion of Shazam! #1 feels like an absolute breath of fresh air. The New Champion of Shazam! #1 is a brilliantly-constructed, long-overdue thrill ride for its titular protagonist, which is brought to life by one of the most inspired creative teams DC Comics has hired in recent memory.
